Trump administration health officials released a new set of dietary guidelines they said would promote healthy eating habits and reduce the need for medications and disease diagnoses. The plan is much more condensed than prior editions, but it pushes the same message for Americans to consume nutrient-rich foods.
“Eat real food,” that’s the directive U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued Wednesday in announcing the new recommendations, often declaring a “war” on saturated fats and added sugars.
“A new framework centers on protein and health fats, vegetables, fruits and whole grains,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy called the new guidelines “the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in history.” He said that the departments worked with “MAHA Moms” and public health advocates to redevelop guidelines.
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The food guidelines would be used to determine what foods the military and children in public schools get and what’s permissible for purchase with benefits, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
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USDA and HHS secretaries are required to update dietary guidelines at least once every five years.
Secretaries for the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services are required to update guidelines at least every five years. They are used to build mandates on what foods are considered sufficient for use in a number of federal nutrition and welfare programs.
Flipping the food pyramid on its head
Kennedy joked during the briefing that the new recommendations returned the food pyramid to its original orientation, prioritizing protein-rich foods, dairy products, fruit, vegetables and healthy fats.
He criticized former editions of the guidelines for “promoting” processed foods due to the former pyramid placing fats, oils and sweets atop the triangle, but they’re meant to be consumed sparingly. The 2020 release of dietary guidelines didn’t promote such foods, however. Several sections in the document urged people to limit or avoid processed meats and soy products due to higher levels of sodium and saturated fats.
“Replacing processed or high-fat meats (e.g., hot dogs, sausages, bacon) with seafood could help lower intake of saturated fat and sodium, nutrients that are often consumed in excess of recommended limits,” according to the former recommendations.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said during the press conference that people should now eat more protein, dairy, healthy fats, whole grains, fruits and vegetables — whether fresh, frozen, canned or dried.
“These dietary guidelines are foundational to so many USDA programs, and their introductions marks the first step in connecting America’s schools and dinner plates to the best of American agriculture,” Rollins said.
It also contains a promotion for people to drink whole milk versus other versions, but research has shown that the milks range in nutritional value based on a person’s individual health.
George Mason University College of Public Health nutrition professor Sapna Batheja wrote that research on whole milk is mixed, as it contains higher amounts of saturated fat, which can raise low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. This has been labeled as a risk factor for heart disease.
“For most adults, low-fat or fat-free dairy is recommended to limit unhealthy saturated fat while still getting essential nutrients,” Batheja wrote. “For children under two, whole milk is generally recommended for brain development, unless otherwise directed by a health care provider. For those who are lactose intolerant, lactose-free milk or plant milks fortified with vitamins and nutrients (like soy milk) are good alternatives.”
Guidelines sought to fight rising cases of chronic illnesses
The updated guidelines were issued, officials said, in an effort to combat the rising numbers of people diagnosed with chronic illnesses. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said the driver behind the change was lessening chronic illnesses in the country.
“The best way to reduce drug spend in America is to not need the drugs in the first place,” Oz said.
He sought the plan to reduce people’s necessity for weight-loss drugs and those for autoimmune problems.
It’s a push that past secretaries and administrators appear to be on the same page about, according to older editions of the dietary guidelines. A number of health organizations like Johns Hopkins Medicine, University of California Los Angeles Health and Harvard University Medical School urge people with a chronic disease to consume foods that reduce inflammation and increase intake of fruits and vegetables.
Foods that cause inflammation are red meat, processed meats, deep-fried foods, foods high in added sugars, baked goods made with white flour and others.
“It can seem challenging at first to eat for lower inflammation with so many inflammatory foods commercially available, but over time, small changes can turn into lasting habits,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. “While no one food reduces inflammation, building a healthy, holistic dietary pattern can help lower your risk of inflammatory disease and transform your health.”
